Vietnam police shut down 159 illegal websites in IP crackdown

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security carried out a nationwide high‑point operation under Prime Minister’s Directive 38. In the first month the police blocked 194 websites that infringed intellectual‑property rights, including 159 live‑stream football sites, 8 sites streaming movies illegally and 27 sites selling counterfeit goods.

The operation led to the initiation of 56 criminal cases against 98 suspects for offences such as copyright infringement, related‑right violations, industrial‑property breaches and counterfeit production. Over 216 individuals were fined, with total penalties exceeding 850 million VND. The police are also cooperating with the Ministry of Justice to amend administrative and criminal statutes and are running public awareness campaigns to help citizens and businesses recognise and report IP violations.